Report says sage helps memory - Goodnews: essential natural health news - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, Dec, 2003

The herb sage may boost memory, says new research.

In a 44-person experiment, UK scientists at the University of Newcastle and the University of Northumbria found that those given sage oil tablets performed much better than those given placebos in a word recall test.

Experts believe an active ingredient in sage may bolster levels of a chemical that helps transmit messages in the brain. The study used an average of 50 milliliters (ml) of Spanish sage, or Salvia lavanduaefolia.

It's possible the herb could yet be found to help patients affected by Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is accompanied, in many cases, by a drop in the same brain chemical increased by sage. Also, sage showed the greatest impact on very short-term word recall, the memory most affected by Alzheimer's disease.

The study appears in the August 2003 issue of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. A different study reported in the July 2003 edition of Archives of Neurology found that frequent eating of fish lowers the risk of Alzheimer's. So, who's up for sage-baked fish?